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No. 6l8,362. Patented Jan. 24, I899.

. C.- A. LITTLEFIELD.

. (Appliation filed Aug. 22, 1898 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

4. x x I m5 NORRIS PETERS 00., PNUTCHJTHQ, WASHINGTON, n cy No. 6l8,362.

(No Model.)

' Patented Jan. 24, I899. c. A. LITTLEFIELD.

LDUM.

(Application med Aug. 22. 1898.1

2 Shets-Sheet 2.

4 x J x 10 I YHE Nanms PETERS co. PNOYO-LIYMQ. WASHINGTON. 0.1;

' fication and particularly pointed out in the N ITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

CHARLES A. LITTLEFIELD, OF LClVELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THEDRAPER COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, AND I-IOPEDALE, MASSACHU- snrrs.

LOOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,362, dated January24, 1899.

Application filed August 22, 1898.

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. LITTLE- FIELD, of Lowell, county ofMiddlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inLooms, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures onthe drawings representing like parts. V

This invention relates to looms for weaving, and more particularly tothat type of loom wherein the operation of the shed-forming mechanism iscontrolled by or through a pattern-surface of any convenientcharacteras, for instance, in a dobby-loom" the movement of the severalharness members being efiected bya dobby. In a loom of this character itwill be obvious that if the patternsurface is moved forward by suitablemeans at each pick the failure of the filling either by breakage orexhaustion will result in an improper advance of the picking mechanism,due to the continued movement of the patternsurface, so that when freshfilling is supplied it will not be laid in the proper shed and thepattern being woven will be imperfect at such point in the cloth. Thefilling fork or detector is usually constructed to operate at everyother pick to detect the presence or absence of filling, and in mypresent invention the filling-fork is supposed to operate in suchmanner. The fresh filling maybe supplied either by hand orautomatically-as, for instance, in the Northrop type of loom, whereinmeans are provided to furnish the shuttle automatically with a freshsupply of filling upon exhaustion or failure of the filling therein-andI have herein chosen to illustrate my invention as applied to a loomhaving. automatic filling-supplying mechanism.

In accordance with my invention I have provided means for effecting aretrograde movement of the pattern-surface for a predetermined amount ornumber of picks upon failure of the filling, such retrograde movementbeing made operative by or through detecting movement of thefilling-detector, as will be fully described hereinafter in thespeciclaims.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, taken Serial No. 689,226. (Nomodel.)

on the line 0000, of a sufficient portion of a dobby-loom to beunderstood with one embodiment of my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2is a transverse sectional view of the mechanism at the left-hand side ofthe loom looking from the back thereof, taken on the line as m, Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the pattern-surface-actuatingmeans to be described,and Fig. 4 is a left-hand end view of Fig. 3.

' The loom-frame A, breast-beam A the lay A crank-shaft 713, and thecam-shaft C may be and are all of well-known and usual construction inlooms. The pinion f, fast on the crank-shaft 71 the toothed gear ithaving a crank-pin o and fast on a shaft having a bevel-gear Z engaginga bevel-gear m on a shaft having a Worm 12 in mesh with a wormgear a onthe shaft 6 of the usual cylinder E, carrying the pattern surface orchain 27, the link 19, the three-armed lever r fast on one end of arock-shaft 4', there being another lever at the opposite end of saidrockshaft, the lifters t and the rods 10 a join- I ing them with thelevers on the rock-shaft T and the harness-levers 0c, the connectors fmounted thereon and having at their ends usual notched jacks d to beengaged by the lifters s the harnesscording w, and the harness frames ormembers to, herein shown as depressed by springs s, are and may be allsubstantially as in United States Patent No. 217,589, dated July 15, 1879, to which reference may be had, similar parts herein being representedby like letters and figures.

Five harness members or frames 10 are herein shown, though only two ofthe levers x are illustrated, and it will be understood that eachharness-frame has its corresponding lever 00 and that while fiveharness-frames are shown my invention is not restricted to that number,nor, indeed, to the particular lifting mechanism for the harness-framesnor the precise means for operating the pattern surface or chain.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 3, the shaft 6 has fast upon ita collar 6 to which is pivoted at e a dog e straddling the shaft andprovided with a bevel-ended projection 6 adapted to enter one of aseries of sockets or recesses in the adjacent side of the worm-gear awhich is loose on the shaft, the projection being pressed toward thegear by a suitable spring 3 fixed at one end to the shaft 6 by a collar6 which construction is well known and not of my invention, its objectbeing to permit the shaft 6 to be turned independently of the worm-gear(2 when desired. At its other end the shaft has loose thereon, next theworm gear, a sleeve f provided with arms f f*, and at the outer end ofthe sleeve a ratchet-wheel g is rigidly secured to the shaft by aset-screw 2 through its hub g, so that the shaft and ratchet-wheel willalways rotate together. A stud f extended from the upper end of arm f,parallel to the shaft, has pivotally mounted upon it a pawl f, normallyheld by a spring s against a stop 3 on a part A of the frame, (see Fig.2,) so that the pawl is held away from the ratchet-wheel, as shown inFigs. 2 and 4, the ratchet-wheel and shaft 6 being normally rotated inthe direction of the arrow 12, Fig. 2. If, however, the sleeve f isrocked to lift the pawl, it will slide over the stop 3 and engage androtate the ratchet-wheel and shaft 6 in the reverse direction oropposite to the arrow 12, and this rocking movement of the sleeve iseffected, as herein shown, by means to be described, controlled by orthrough the detecting operation of the filling detector or fork.

The arm f of the pawlcarrier or sleeve f has pivotally connected theretoa depending link f adjustably attached at its lower end, as by a bolt 13in a slot 14, to a rocker-arm f fast on a rock-shaft f mounted in a longbearing A forming part of a stand attached to the loom side. Collars 15,fast on the shaft at the ends of the bearing, prevent longitudinalmovement of said shaft, which latter has splined thereto at its innerend an upturned arm f normally held against a lateral stop-finger A onthe bearing by the action of the spring S, one of whose ends is fixedand the other secured tothe rockerarm f Between the hub of the slidingarm f and a collar 16, fast on the rock-shaft f, is inter posed a spring8 to normally maintain said arm in the position shown best in Fig. 2 atone side of the path of a cam F on the shaft O but when the arm f isslid on the rockshaft f to the right, Fig. 2, into the path of the saidcam the latter will engage the arm and thereby rock the shaft to depressthe link f and thus cause the pawl f to efiect retrograde movement ofthe pattern-surface shaft 8 The amount of such retrograde movement isdetermined by the point of attachment of the link with the rocker-arm fand the shape and extent of the cam F, so that the pattern-surface willbe turned back a distance equivalent to the desired number of picks,usually two or more.

Itis now necessary to describe the connections between the fillingdetector or fork and the mechanism just described, and, referring moreparticularly to Fig. 1, the breast-beam A has mounted upon it near oneend a stand 79 having a guideway 11 in which a slide b is adapted toreciprocate, the filling detector or fork 6 being pivoted at Z7 on theslide, the fork being engaged at times by the weft-hammer A, while acheck 0 is pivoted on the slide to aid the fork in turning about itspivot 12 after it has been tilted. The slide 1) has at its outer end aprojection 0, against which normally acts a lever 0 pivoted at c andbeing shown as joined by a link o to an arm 0 of the rock-shaft or rodcl, and the parts just described are and may be all as in United StatesPatent No. 529,943, dated November 27, 1894, to which reference may behad, the weft-hammer A having a connected lever A rocked by a cam A onthe camshaft O at every alternate pick of the loom.

I have provided the lever c with an arm 0, which is pivotally connectedby a link 0 with a rocker-arm 0", fast on a rock-shaft a, mounted instands C and at right angles to the rock-shaft f". A second rocker-arm 0fast on the shaft 0 is upturned and forked or formed with a yoke at itsupper end to enter a groove 30 (see Fig. 2) in the hub of the slide-armf so that when the link 0 is lifted the yoke-arm 0 will operate to movethe slide-arm f against its spring .9 into the path of the cam F to beengaged therebyand moved as described. Now, as in said Patent No.529,943, if the filling is properly laid the detector 19 will be tilted;but if the filling fails and is not in the shed opposite the de tectorwhen the lay beats up the detector will not be tilted, and by theintervening de vices the lever 0 will be turned, and the arm 0 thereofwill be elevated to thereby move the yoke-arm 0 as has been described,and at the same time the rock-shaft cl will be turned. Such turning ofthe rock-shaft d in the patent referred to causes a transferrer tooperate (not herein shown) to transfer a fresh supply of filling froma-suitable hopper into the shuttle then in the adjacent shuttlebox,ejecting the spent or partially-exhausted filling-supply then inthe'shuttle. Inasmuch as this automatic filling-supplying mechanism isnot of my invention and is well-known I have not herein shown the samefurther than to show the rock-shaft (1', which is the initial or primeactuator for effecting the operation of said mechanism. Now in loomsprovided with such filling-supplying mechanism the latter is located atone end of the lay and the filling-detector at the other end, and withthe loom herein illustrated the transfer of filling would take place atthe left-hand side of the loom and detection of the filling at theright-hand side.

In such a loom as described the detection of filling failure and theinsertion of a fresh supply of filling in the shuttle usually consumesthree picks, owing to the relative positions of filling-detector andfilling-supplying mechanism and the detecting operation of the detectorat every alternate pick. So I have arranged the devices constituting myinvention to effect retrograde movement of the pattern-surface adistance equivalent to three picks. Consequently when the fresh fillingis again laid in the shed the patternsurface is in position to resumecontrol of the shed formation at the point where the filling failed.

Having fully described my invention in one practical embodiment thereofwithout attempting to show the various modifications thereof whichmay-be made, Ido not restrict myself to the precise construction andarrangement herein shown and described.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a loom, shed-forming mechanism, a pattern-surface to control theoperation thereof, actuating means for said pattern-surface, afilling-detector, and means operated by or through the said detectorupon failure of the filling to effect retrograde movement of thepattern-surface for a predetermined amount.

2. In a loom, shed-forming mechanism, a pattern-surface to control theoperation thereof, a shaft to effect the movement of thepattern-surface, means to normally rotate said shaft, independentnormally inoperative means to rotate said'shaft in the oppositedirection and effect retrograde movement of the pattern-surface, afilling-detector, and connectionsbetween it and saidnormally-inoperative means, to actuate the latter upon detection offilling failure by said detector.

3. In a loom provided with filling-supplying mechanism, afilling-detector to effect the operation of said mechanism upon failureof the filling, shed-forming mechanism, a pattern-surface controllingthe same, means to actuate the pattern-surface, and independent meansoperated by or through detecting movement of the filling-detector toeffect retrograde movement of the pattern-surface.

4. In a loom, shed-forming mechanism, a

pattern-surface to control the operation thereof, as'haft to move thepattern-surface, means of, actuating means for said pattern-surface,

a filling-detector, means, including a rotating cam and a normallynon-cooperative arm, to effect retrograde movement of thepatternsurface, and devices operative by or through saidfilling-detector upon failure of the filling to move said arm intoposition to be engaged and actuated by the cam.

6. In a loom, shed-forming mechanism, a

. pattern-surface to control the operation thereof, means to normallyactuate the pattern= surface, independent means to effect retro grademovement thereof, and filling-supplying mechanism, combined with afilling-detector, a lever moved by or through said detector upon failureof the filling, and independent means operated by movement of said leverto operate the filling-supplying mechanism and to actuate the means foreffecting retrogression of the pattern-surface.

'7. In a loom, a pattern-surface to control the formation of the shed,normally-inoperative means to effect retrograde movement of saidpattern-surface, and a filling-detector to control the operation of saidmeans and effect actuation of the same upon failure of the filling.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. LITTLEFIELD.

IVitnesses:

J OHN O. EDWARDS, EMMA J. BENNETT.

